History of Cogioba Scouting
In 1911, at the suggestion of Dr. Charles Diehl (president of Southwestern Presbyterian University, later to become APSU), the first local scout troop was formed with Henry Luton as its scoutmaster. Soon three other troops were formed with Dr. Scott Lyons, Reverend Raimondo DeOvies, and Alfred Killebrew as their scoutmasters. Initially meetings were held in the tobacco exchange building and the boys played and exercised on the public square. The first area scout camp was at Bridgewater Mill in Glovers Cave, Ky. 1912 saw local scouts travel to Nashville to be part of the celebration when Baden Powell visited Nashville. In March 1913 Western Grizzard joined one of the first troops.
The program waned during the World War I era, but in 1920 the American Legion secured Western Grizzard to help restart the local scout program. He would stay involved for the next 50 years. The Nashville Council was formed from 1917-1920 to help expand the program, but the volunteer commissioner did not operate outside Nashville only covering part of Davidson County. By 1922 Grizzard had firmly restarted Troop 1 and it was followed by troops sponsored by Odd Fellows, Civitan, Kiwanis, and Rotary Clubs. Two scout council outside Nashville were formed in 1928. The Middle Tennessee Council covered 5 counties around Columbia, Clarksville, Lebanon, and Dickson. Both these new councils folded within 2 years primarily due to lack of financial support during the depression.
Scout Executive Charles Wood operating out of Cincinnati organized a new Cogioba Council in 1932. It was centered on Clarksville and Hopkinsville and covered 15 Kentucky counties in addition to Montgomery and Stewart in Tennessee. Henry Lupton, Clarksville’s first scoutmaster and now the president of the Tobacco Manufacturing Company named the council Cogioba, the Indian word for the black tobacco that was an economic staple of this area. William Dunlop was one of the council’s early presidents and arranged for the development of the council camp on the site of what is now Billy Dunlop Park. With primary support of the tobacco companies and the Civitans, the council flourished until 1950 when local scout units joined the new Middle Tennessee Council.The new Middle Tennessee Council was not going to remain segregated and the new council formed in Kentucky (Mammoth Cave) was. The new pack and troop formed on Fort Campbell were integrated (the armed forces integrated by presidential order in 1948) and were the first local units to transfer their charters to the new council in Nashville. All the local units had done so by 1953. While most units show their veteran tenure based on when they joined MTC, it is likely that several units are the successors of the first 4 local troops and the ones reformed in the 1920’s. The Ft Campbell units were formed thru the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Stokes.
Western Grizzard was the first local recipient of the Silver Beaver from the Cogioba Council. William Dunlop and Allen Summers were the first Cogioba Silver Beaver awardees once the local district joined Middle Tennessee Council (Summers was the first African-American recipient). When Cogioba joined Middle Tennessee Council, the scout camp was no longer needed and it was placed in the hands of several Tennessee and Ky. trustees. Shortly thereafter the Kentucky trustees transferred the property to the remaining Montgomery County trustees. By the 1960s it was transferred from the trustees to become a public park (for “unnamed considerations”) since they no longer had funds to maintain it.
District membership peaked in the early 1990s with over 3000 youth registered in 54 units. Local district lines were redrawn a decade ago and Houston County was moved from Highland Rim to the Cogioba District. Since few records can be found from 1911 thru 1950 it is unknown how old some of our units are. Originally all troops received their charters from the national office so every town could have a Troop or Pack 1. As councils formed the oldest troops had their choice of numbers with others being renumbered. Thus Troop 1 in Springfield formed over 90 years ago became Troop 144 in Middle Tennessee Council and the Troop 1 in Brentwood is the councils only Troop 1 now.
The program waned during the World War I era, but in 1920 the American Legion secured Western Grizzard to help restart the local scout program. He would stay involved for the next 50 years. The Nashville Council was formed from 1917-1920 to help expand the program, but the volunteer commissioner did not operate outside Nashville only covering part of Davidson County. By 1922 Grizzard had firmly restarted Troop 1 and it was followed by troops sponsored by Odd Fellows, Civitan, Kiwanis, and Rotary Clubs. Two scout council outside Nashville were formed in 1928. The Middle Tennessee Council covered 5 counties around Columbia, Clarksville, Lebanon, and Dickson. Both these new councils folded within 2 years primarily due to lack of financial support during the depression.
Scout Executive Charles Wood operating out of Cincinnati organized a new Cogioba Council in 1932. It was centered on Clarksville and Hopkinsville and covered 15 Kentucky counties in addition to Montgomery and Stewart in Tennessee. Henry Lupton, Clarksville’s first scoutmaster and now the president of the Tobacco Manufacturing Company named the council Cogioba, the Indian word for the black tobacco that was an economic staple of this area. William Dunlop was one of the council’s early presidents and arranged for the development of the council camp on the site of what is now Billy Dunlop Park. With primary support of the tobacco companies and the Civitans, the council flourished until 1950 when local scout units joined the new Middle Tennessee Council.The new Middle Tennessee Council was not going to remain segregated and the new council formed in Kentucky (Mammoth Cave) was. The new pack and troop formed on Fort Campbell were integrated (the armed forces integrated by presidential order in 1948) and were the first local units to transfer their charters to the new council in Nashville. All the local units had done so by 1953. While most units show their veteran tenure based on when they joined MTC, it is likely that several units are the successors of the first 4 local troops and the ones reformed in the 1920’s. The Ft Campbell units were formed thru the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Stokes.
Western Grizzard was the first local recipient of the Silver Beaver from the Cogioba Council. William Dunlop and Allen Summers were the first Cogioba Silver Beaver awardees once the local district joined Middle Tennessee Council (Summers was the first African-American recipient). When Cogioba joined Middle Tennessee Council, the scout camp was no longer needed and it was placed in the hands of several Tennessee and Ky. trustees. Shortly thereafter the Kentucky trustees transferred the property to the remaining Montgomery County trustees. By the 1960s it was transferred from the trustees to become a public park (for “unnamed considerations”) since they no longer had funds to maintain it.
District membership peaked in the early 1990s with over 3000 youth registered in 54 units. Local district lines were redrawn a decade ago and Houston County was moved from Highland Rim to the Cogioba District. Since few records can be found from 1911 thru 1950 it is unknown how old some of our units are. Originally all troops received their charters from the national office so every town could have a Troop or Pack 1. As councils formed the oldest troops had their choice of numbers with others being renumbered. Thus Troop 1 in Springfield formed over 90 years ago became Troop 144 in Middle Tennessee Council and the Troop 1 in Brentwood is the councils only Troop 1 now.
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